Conventional support structures for towing participants behind a power boat are generally designed to include a combination of bent tubing, machined bar stock, and cast components. The individual components are typically manufactured using standard manufacturing processes to include casting, tube bending, and machining. The individual components are generally bolted and welded in a structural form to meet the design objective of creating an arch like structure that is attached to the port and starboard gunwales of the boat and transverse the boat from port to starboard at a height above the operator so as not to interfere with the operation of the boat. These support structures may be referred to as towers, or wake towers.
Since their inception, methods of constructing conventional wake towers have included welding components together. The welding process introduces stress and dimensional distortion into the assembled components. Welding jigs and fixtures may be used to hold parts in place and minimize distortion. However, the final assembly will typically experience significant degrees of dimensional distortion after being released from the welding fixture.
Also, the heat from a welding process may negatively impact the material adjacent to the weld. If a weld tower fails under load, the root cause can often be found in the area adjacent to the weld. Though weld joints tend to be strong, the heat affected material adjacent to a weld tends to be weak. Thus, a tower constructed without welding in accordance with embodiments of the present general inventive concept can solve such problems associated with conventional wake tower construction.
Conventional wake towers typically provide a vertical structure that is pivotally attached to a stationary base. The pivot function provides a mechanism to lower the vertical structure so that the vessel may pass under low structures and/or to reduce the vessel's profile for convenience of transport and storage. In addition to providing a platform for elevated towing to improve the aerial characteristics of wakeboard or other watersport performances, the wake tower can provide a mechanism for mounting and storing water sport accessories, entertainment accessories, or other devices, including bimini tops. However, the addition of accessories and bimini tops to the tower may add considerable weight to the wake tower. The combined weight of the tower and the installed accessories may create a situation where the tower is either too difficult or impossible for a user to manually raise and lower the tower. While this issue has been addressed by means of installing mechanical or gas springs to counterbalance the excessive loads, a problem persists in that it is difficult for an operator to lock the tower in the upright or vertical position as the operator is holding and letting go of the tower.